Vise wrench



Sept 12; 1967 c. G. BURCHETT VISE WRENCH Filed Sept. 21, 1966 Fig.

Fig. 3

Clarence G. Burcheff INVENTOR @6 1"- g/ a Altomejs United States Patent Olfice 3,340,754- Patented Sept. 12, 1967 3 Claims. (Cl. 813S6) The present invention, which is a substitute of application Ser. No. 112,320 filed on May 24, 1961, now abandoned, generally relates to a wrench construction and more particularly to an adjustable wrench having a stationary jaw and a movable jaw disposed in parallel relation to each other laterally offset from a handle assembly together with a movable handle and a stationary handle and a mechanism connected with the movable handle and the stationary handle for applying pressure to the movable jaw for urging the movable jaw towards the stationary jaw when the movable handle is moved towards the stationary handle thereby enabling the wrench to be employed to actuate nuts, bolts or the like which have been rusted or otherwise are hard to remove or which may have been partially deformed due to previous actuation by wrenches of the Wrong size or maladjusted wrenches threaded connection between the movable jaw and the threaded rod thus enabling an initial rough adjustment and a subsequent application of pressure by moving the movable jaw a limited amount toward the stationary jaw.

Another important feature of the present invention is to provide a movable jaw vise type wrench which is quite which quite often deform nuts, bolt heads or the like thus rendering them relatively difficult to actuate.

Heretofore, there have been provided wrenches havmg a stationary jaw and movable jaw with the movable jaw normally having a threaded spindle engaged with a longitudinally extended gear rack by which rotation of the spindle will cause movement of the movable jaw in relation to the stationary jaw. Due to normal wear and manufacturing tolerances which enable smooth operation of the spindle, there is always a certain amount of backlash or slack in the mechanism so that even after the movable jaw has been disposed in adjusted position, there will be a slight amount of outward movement of the movable jaw in relation to the stationary jaw. Also, very little pressure can be exerted on the movable jaw by the conventional rack and externally threaded spindle since the spindle is quite small and only finger pressure can be exerted thereon. In some instances, the spindle is hollow and interiorly threaded but such spindles are also relatively small and can only be engaged by the thumb and fingers on opposite surfaces thereof for exerting Very little pressure on the movable jaw which quite often will enable the wrench to slip off of a nut, bolt head or the like especially if the nut or bolt head is rusted or otherwise quite ditficult to actuate. Accordingly, it is the primary object of the present invention to provide a movable jaw wrench construction in which the movable jaw is initially adjusted to a position with the jaws engaging a nut 01' bolt head or the like after which a movable pressure handle may be operated for moving the movable jaw a relatively small distance thereby bringing the jaws into tight clamping engagement with a nut or bolt head.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a wrench in accordance with the preceding object in which the movable pressure handle is pivotally connected to the movable jaw and is connected to the stationary part of the wrench by virtue of a fulcrum lever orientated in such a manner that the pressure handle will be self-locking in'its clamped position since a portion of the handle will move past the center line of the fulcrum lever when the handle and movable jaw are in clamped position.

Still another important object of the present invention is to provide a vise wrench including a movable jaw which is guided in relation to the stationary jaw and which has threaded engagement with an elongated threaded rod and which may also move within limits in relation to the simple in construction, easy to operate, quite effective in clampingly engaging a piece of work between the jaws and relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the wrench of the present invention illustrating the orientation of the components thereof;

FIGURE 2 is a longitudinal, sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 2 2 of FIGURE 1 illustrating the structural details of the invention;

FIGURE 3 is a transverse, sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 3-3 of FIGURE 2 illustrating the construction of the movable jaw and the manner in which it is guided in relation to the stationary part of the wrench; and

FIGURE 4 is a transverse, sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 4-4 of FIGURE 2 illustrating further structural details of the invention.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, the numeral 10 generally designates the wrench of the present invention including a stationary jaw assembly 12 having a stationary handle 14 rigid therewith, a movable jaw assembly generally designated by numeral 16 and a pressure ap plying handle assembly or movable handle generally designated by numeral 18.

The stationary jaw 12 includes a main body portion 20 having a laterally extending jaw member 22 extending therefrom. The jaw member 22 may be of reduced thickness as compared to the main body 20 and may also be provided with a rounded outer edge 24. The inner edge of the jaw 22 is substantially fiat and provided with a laterally enlarged work engaging member 26 having serrations or teeth 28 formed thereon. If desired, the surface of the work engaging plate 26 may be smooth, knurled, serrated or formed in any conventional manner normally provided on wrenches of this type for effectively engaging work 30 such as a nut, bolt head, pipe fitting or whatever is desired to be operated by the wrench.

. handle 32. The jaw member 38 is provided with a laterally enlarged work engaging plate 42 having serrations 44 on the surface thereof. The work engaging plate 42 is parallel with the work engaging plate 26 and during movement of the movable jaw member 38 in relation to the stationary jaw member 22, the parallelism of the Work engaging plates 26 and 42 will be maintained. For guiding the jaw member 38, it is provided with longitudinal grooves 46 on opposite surfaces thereof for slidable engagement with longitudinal ribs or inturned edge portions 48 on the hollow member 32 thus maintaining the parallelism of the work engaging plates 26 and 42.

Extending longitudinally through the tubular handle 32 is an elongated externally threaded rod 50 which is threaded throughout its length except where one end 52 is journaled in a socket or bore 54 in the main body 20 of the stationary jaw 12 and the other end is journalled in a bearing member 56- provided therefor in the opposite end of the handle 32 from the stationary jaw 12. Also, the center portion of the threaded rod 50 may be unthreaded for journaling in a stabilizing brace 58 rigid with the tubular member 32 thus stabilizing the center of the elongated rod 50. Threaded on the elongated rod 50 between the stabilizer 58 and the stationary jaw 12 is a spindle 60' generally in the shape of a bobbin in that it employs a pair of laterally extending peripheral end flanges 62. The spindle or sleeve 60 is threaded onto the shaft 50 and the flanges 62 capture the main body portion 40 of the movable jaw member 38 thereon. As illustrated in FIGURE 2, the main body 46 is provided with a bore 64 therethrough which is slidably engaged with the exterior surface of the spindle or sleeve 60. The exterior surface of the spindle or sleeve 60 along with the interior surface of the bore 64 is polygonal so that the spindle or sleeve 60 will not rotate in relation to the threaded rod 50 thus assuring that the sleeve or spindle 60 will move longitudinally during rotation of the rod 50. Also, the flanges 62 will assure movement of the movable jaw 16 along with the spindle 60' and the main body portion 46 will normally rest against the flange 62 remote from the stationary jaw 12 except when the pressure handle 18 moves the movable jaw 16 towards the stationary jaw 12 after an initial adjustment by rotation of the rod 50. The portion of the threaded rod 50 which extends outwardly beyond the bearing 56: is provided with an operating knob 66 which may be serrated, knurled or the like thus enabling ready rotation of the threaded rod or stem 50 thus assuring a rapid initial adjustment of the movable jaw 16 in relation to the stationary jaw 12.

A second threaded sleeve or spindle 68 is provided on the threaded stem or rod 50 between the stabilizer 58 and the bearing 56 and this sleeve or spindle 68 is provided with a laterally extending lug 70 to which is attached a fulcrum lever 72 by virtue of a pivot pin 74. The fulcrum lever 72 forms a portion of the pressure handle assembly 18 which also includes an elongated movable handle 7 6 having one end thereof pivotally attached to the movable jaw member 3& by virtue of a pivot pin 7 8. Centrally of the movable handle 76, there is a pivotal connection 80' with the other end of the fulcrum lever 72. The handle 76 is provided with an inwardly curved and smoothly contoured free end portion 82 and the entire handle may be of U-shaped configuration in which the pivot pins 78 and 86 extend between the legs of the U-shaped handle member. The fulcrum lever 72 is orientated in such a manner that when the handle 76 is moved inwardly, the pivot point 80 will move inwardly beyond the center line between pivot points 78 and 74 thus locking the pressure handle 76- in closed position. Also, inwardly movement of the handle 76 past a position generally shown in FIGURE 2 will cause the movable jaw member 38 to move towards the stationary jaw member 22.

The various components may be constructed of any suitable material such as is normally employed in constructing tools of this nature and the various dimensional characteristics of the tool may be varied depending upon the size thereof together with the strength requirements necessary for the particular uses for which the particular wrench will be adapted.

The movable jaw 38 is held in retracted position by an elongated tension coil spring 84 which is connected to the spindle whereby a constant spring pressure will be exerted on jaw 16. This will assure that the jaw member 38 will be retained against the rearmost flange on the spindle and retaining the jaw member 38 in retracted position so that the pressure handle may be operated properly. A thrust collar 86 is provided on rod 50 in engagement with bearing 56 for transferring thrust from rod 50 to the stationary handle 14. As illustrated in FIGURES l and 2, the movable handle 18 is provided with an opening lever 88 pivotally attached thereto by pivot pin 90 and including a rounded end 92 to engage a projecting portion 94 of the fulcrum lever 72 thus forming a pressure for opening the handle 18 when the free end 96 is moved outwardly from the position shown in FIGURE 2.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A wrench comprising a stationary jaw, an elongated handle member extending rigidly from the stationary jaw with the stationary jaw including a work engaging surface generally in perpendicular relation to the stationary handle, a movable jaw having a work engaging surface generally parallel to the work engaging surface of the stationary jaw, means mounting the movable jaw on the stationary handle for sliding movement towards and away from the stationary jaw, screw threaded means mounted on the stationary handle and engaged with the movable jaw for causing movement of the movable jaw, connection means between the movable jaw and the threaded means for enabling limited free movement of the movable jaw in relation to the threaded means, and over-center handle means interconnecting the movable jaw and the stationary handle for moving the movable jaw after it has been set in adjusted position thereby applying pressure to the movable jaw for urging it toward the stationary jaw, said threaded means including an elongated threaded rod joumaled on the stationary handle, a spindle threadedly engaged with the threaded rod and forming the connection between the threaded rod and the movable jaw, said spindle having flanges on the ends thereof, said movable jaw having a body portion of lesser length than the distance between the flanges and being disposed on the spindle between the flanges in non-rotative relation thereto whereby rotation of the threaded member will cause longitudinal movement of the spindle and movable jaw.

2. A wrench comprising a stationary jaw, an elongated handle member extending rigidly from the stationary jaw with the stationary jaw including a work engaging surface generally in perpendicular relation to the stationary handle, a movable jaw having a work engaging surface generally parallel to the work engaging surface of the stationary jaw, means mounting the movable jaw on the stationary handle for sliding movement towards and away from the stationary jaw, screw threaded means mounted on the stationary handle and engaged withthe movable jaw for causing movement of the movable jaw, connection means between the movable jaw and the threaded means for enabling limited free movement of the movable jaw in relation to the threaded means, and over-center handle means interconnecting the movable jaw and the stationary handle for moving the movable jaw after it has been set in adjusted position thereby applying pressure to the movable jaw for urging it toward the stationary jaw, said overcenter handle means including an elongated pressure handle pivotally attached to the movable jaw, a fulcrum lever pivotally attached to the central portion of the elongated handle, the other end of the fulcrum lever being longitudinally adjustably connected to the stationary handle whereby the point of attachment of the fulcrum lever will move with the movable jaw for maintaining a constant relationship thereto during movement of the movable jaw due to rotation of the threaded means whereby the movable jaw may be caused to move towards the stationary jaw when the elongated handle is swung inwardly towards the stationary handle.

3. The structure as defined in claim 2 together with spring means interconnecting the movable jaw and the point of connection between the fulcrum lever and stationary handle for movement with the end of the fulcrum lever for urging the movable jaw away from the stationary aw.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 514,752 2/1894 Humphrey 81-356 574,487 1/1897 Kapka 81356 2,471,734 5/1949 Fischer 81--356 WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner.

G. WIEDENFELD, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A WRENCH COMPRISING A STATIONARY JAW, AN ELONGATED HANDLE MEMBER EXTENDING RIGIDLY FROM THE STATIONARY JAW WITH THE STATIONARY JAW INCLUDING A WORK ENGAGING SURFACE GENERALLY IN PERPENDICULAR RELATION TO THE STATIONARY HANDLE, A MOVABLE JAW HAVING A WORK ENGAGING SURFACE GENERALLY PARALLEL TO THE WORK ENGAGING SURFACE OF THE STATIONARY JAW, MEANS MOUNTING THE MOVABLE JAW ON THE STATIONARY HANDLE FOR SLIDING MOVEMENT TOWARDS AND AWAY FROM THE STATIONARY JAW, SCREW THREADED MEANS MOUNTED ON THE STATIONARY HANDLE AND ENGAGED WITH THE MOVABLE JAW FOR CAUSING MOVEMENT OF THE MOVABLE JAW, CONNECTION MEANS BETWEEN THE MOVABLE JAW AND THE THREADED MEANS FOR ENABLING LIMITED FREE MOVEMENT OF THE MOVABLE JAW IN RELATION TO THE THREADED MEANS, AND OVER-CENTER HANDLE MEANS INTERCONNECTING THE MOVABLE JAW AND THE STATIONARY HANDLE FOR MOVING THE MOVABLE JAW AFTER IT HAS BEEN SET IN ADJUSTED POSITION THEREBY APPLYING PRESSURE TO THE MOVABLE JAW FOR URGING IT TOWARD THE STATIONARY JAW, SAID THREADED MEANS INCLUDING AN ELONGATED THREADED ROD JOURNALED ON THE STATIONARY HANDLE, A SPINDLE THREADEDLY ENGAGED WITH THE THREADED ROD AND FORMING THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE THREADED ROD AND THE MOVABLE JAW, SAID SPINDLE HAVING FLANGES ON THE ENDS THEREOF, SAID MOVABLE JAW HAVING A BODY PORTION OF LESSER LENGTH THAN THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE FLANGES AND BEING DISPOSED ON THE SPINDLE BETWEEN THE FLANGES IN NON-ROTATIVE RELATION THERETO WHEREBY ROTATION OF THE THREADED MEMBER WILL CAUSE LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT OF THE SPINDLE AND MOVABLE JAW. 